Journey to the Stars
by LOTR Mrs. Greenleaf
Summary: voltageBMP Emma, daughter of Kieth and Evangaline Alford, is the Princess of Liberty Kingdom. She longs for adventure, but she feels that her parents keep a tight rein on her. One day, she meets Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise, and her life changes forever. She can explore space. In space, as the youngest captain in the records, she runs into Commander Nuhir Raala.


It's before dawn on January 1st, 2313. My father has official business later today, and my mother is required to go with him. I was able to get out on another horse ride in the afternoon. My parents tend to keep a tight rein on me, and it is only through the persuasion of Alick and Luke, the butlers at Liberty Manse, that I can get time to myself to go out riding. I soon started to head back to the Manse, having my horse, Amber, trot at a steady, easy-going pace.

I soon reached the stalls for the royal family to use. The stable hand helped me down off the horse, and then starts pointing toward the Manse. The stable hand is a mute, so I figured something is going on at home. I soon walked in through one of the side doors, and I was greeted with a flurry of emotion from my mother.

"Where have you been?" my mother asked hectically. "You had no permission to leave this household without a bodyguard and only God knows what time you left last night!"

"Okay…to answer your question, I was out riding last night. And to comment on what you just said, I asked Alick if it would be okay for me to go out, and he said it was as long as I was back before breakfast, which I was. _And_ I was gone _an hour_," I explained.

"How am I supposed to believe you? You're always out riding late at night."

"I'm _not_ always riding late at night, and this time I was out about forty-five minutes before the sun rose…" I sighed muttering under my breath, "And that was an hour ago."

"For the love of God."

"Evie, would you remain calm?" my father, Keith Alford, said. "Arguing with our daughter won't accomplish anything."

"When did it accomplish anything?" I asked sarcastically, walking up to my room to change.

"I'll be talking with you after your mother and I come back, Emma."

"Yeah…whatever." I snorted.

My father shot me a look.

As I head back upstairs, I overhear my mother saying, "I blame you for this."

"For what?" my father replied.

"She gets her stubbornness and temper, all from you."

"I have to admit that she probably does get her temper from me, but her stubbornness comes from you as well, Evie." My father was quiet for a minute. "We best be going. We do not wish to be late."

I was eating my breakfast with my aunt, Cathy, my father's younger sister. The conversation that my parents had after they left the castle was still going around in circles inside my head.

"Is something wrong, Emma?" my aunt asked, wearing a worried expression on her face as she looked at me.

"There is something bothering me," I replied slowly, "but, if it is okay with you, I do not wish to talk about it right now."

My aunt smiled. "Whatever you say, Emma." I smiled along with her, then she commented, "There's something that I've noticed about you, Emma."

"And what would that be?"

"You seem like a more dignified version of Evangeline, your mother." I made eye contact with my aunt. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you're mother isn't dignified. She is, but she sometimes doesn't have confidence in her own abilities, which you have."

"Is that so?"

"It is. But…I would appreciate it if you kept this between us. Can you do that for me?"

I nodded. It wasn't every day that my aunt asked me to keep something between the two of us. I was happy, even if it was just for the slightest moment. It seemed that she was the only one out of my family, aside from my elder brother, Joseph, who really knew me and took what I was feeling into account. Joseph, however, had been overseas for quite some time and wouldn't be home soon.

I took another ride after I had lunch, but I had to return early because my parents were supposedly coming home early from their _long day of business_. As my father said before he left, he was going to _have a talk_ with me which turned out to be more than just a talk.

I was sitting on my bed, which was positioned with the end with the pillows up against the wall. My father sat down next to me.

"You know you shouldn't talk to your mother like that, Em," my father said. "She loves you."

"Does she?" I replied. "When does she ever show that she even cares for me?"

"Emma…you are the Princess of Liberty–"

"I don't want to be the Princess of Liberty. I want to be just me."

"You know that can't happen."

"Didn't you ever want to be like a normal person? Didn't you ever want to have expectations that you can actually attain within your lifetime?"

Soon, a knock was heard along with Luke's voice, saying, "I apologize for the interruption."

"Come in, Luke," my father said.

"His Majesty, King Edward is here to see you."

"King Edward? Let him know I will meet him, shortly. Inform him I am chatting with my daughter at the moment."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Luke soon left my father and I alone again. An awkward silence filled the room between us.

"I suggest you go greet King Edward as well," my father said as he left the room.

I soon walked down the stairs. His Majesty, King Edward Levaincois, was waiting in the Manse's library. When he saw me, he smiled genuinely.

"It's good to see you again, Emma," he said smiling as I walked up to him.

"It's good to see you to, Your Majesty," I replied. "I heard you were here to see my father."

"Yes, I am."

For some reason, the doors were left open, and a soft breeze was traveling through the opening. Hopefully, the guards were outside by the doors just in case. You never know what could happen, and the paparazzi are a very persistent group of people.

_I want to go out again_, I thought. _It was so nice this afternoon…I can just imagine what it must be like now…_

"Is something the matter?" King Edward asked, obviously concerned about me. "You seem to be distracted."

"Everything's fine," I replied as I shot King Edward a smile.

"Why wouldn't everything be fine?" my mother asked sarcastically as she walked down the stairs, not noticing King Edward.

"And of course, you have an answer for everything."

"Now, now…that is no way to treat each other," King Edward said, breaking the tension between my mother and me.

"King Edward," my mother said, now smiling. "It's good to see you again. I presume you are here to see my husband."

"I am."

I sighed dramatically. Mother and father hadn't been getting along for a while, and recently, mother had been making very subtle moves at King Edward when father wasn't around to see her do it…but she always seems to do it when I'm around.

_I guess she didn't think I'd pick up on what she's doing_, I thought. _Ever since that big fight mother and father had, they'd been drifting apart. And mother's been so oblivious to everything but her own feelings and hurt_.

"Edward," my father said boldly, walking down the steps. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you to, Keith," King Edward replied. "How have you been?"

"I've been pretty well if I must say so myself."

As my father and King Edward conversed, my mother was quiet with her head down. My father wasn't even looking at her, which is kind of weird. Luckily for them, King Edward was oblivious to the silent war that was raging between my parents. Either that or he didn't say anything.

Soon, Luke came in, saying, "Your Majesty, the kings from the other four kingdoms are here to see you."

"Lead them here, Luke" my father said, and Luke nodded.

"Would you excuse me?" my mother asked softly. "I have some things that I need to see to."

"Of course," King Edward said.

My mother walked off just as the other kings, King Glenn of Oriens, King Joshua of Dres Van, King Roberto of Altaria, and King Wilfred of Phillip, walked in. King Roberto noticed my mother walking out.

I looked up to the other kings, and they were much like surrogate fathers to me, especially King Roberto and King Edward. All of the other kings were there for me when I needed someone, other than the people in Liberty Manse, to talk to.

The other kings were talking with my father as King Roberto walked over to me, and asked, "Is everything okay between your parents, Emma?"

"Why do you ask?" I replied slowly.

"I was just wondering because something is off between the two of them…so is everything okay between them?"

"I don't really know, Your Majesty."

"Well…if there's anything you need, come to us, okay?"

"Okay."

King Roberto walked off as I thought, _He sure starts conversations quickly and ends them even quicker_.

Soon enough, my father, Luke, and I were the only ones in the library. My mother hadn't come back yet, which was considered the norm now that mother and father were still raging a silent war and hadn't reconciled.

"Emma…" my father started quietly. "Has your mother said anything to you?"

"About what?" I replied.

"About what's going on between the two of us?"

"She hasn't said anything about it…why?"

"I was just wondering. What did King Roberto have to say to you?"

"He thought that something was off between you and mom and asked if I knew anything about it, which I _don't_."

I walked off after that. I knew that if my father kept asking me questions, my mouth would slip and father would know that mother was trying to get King Edward's attention. He has enough to worry about, and he doesn't need to worry about mother trying to get King Edward's attention.

I soon snuck out for another ride around three o'clock. The breeze was nice, making the day not too hot but at the same time not too cold. That was when I had the chance of a lifetime. The chance to get away from my royal duties and be myself and travel the world…travel space.

I was at the meadow where an old friend and I used to play as children, which was about twenty kilometers from Liberty Manse. That is when I saw a man. He appears to be one of Starfleet's officers. He is either a captain or an acting ensign. He soon saw me and walked over to me.

"Are you a Starfleet officer?" I asked the man as I rode over to him.

"Your Highness, I implore that you do not speak to strangers!" a voice said behind me. "You do not know what his intentions are and what he is capable of!"

The voice belonged to my main personal bodyguard and butler, John. He was stepping out of the bullet proof hover limo with two other guards. They looked like the FBI agents from the old criminal shows like _Criminal Minds_ and _Without a Trace_. They had the black suits, black rectangular sunglasses, and black dress shoes. However, the sunglasses had mirrors on the inside of the lenses so the guards could see behind them, and the sunglasses could also show who a person is and what their status in society is. Also, under their garments, my guards also wore bulletproof mail to protect their upper torsos.

"It's fine, John," I replied. "I'm sure this man has good intentions, despite the things he is capable of." I looked back at the stranger. "So…are you one of Starfleet?"

"Yes, I am," the man replied. "I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise. And who might you be?"

"How dare you talk to Her Highness like that!" John exclaimed. "She is–"

"That's enough, John!" I said.

"I take it that you are a princess of somewhere."

"I am. My name is Emma Alford. My father is the King of Liberty. I've heard of you, Captain. I'm very intrigued by what you do."

"Why thank you, Your Highness."

"You don't need to address me formally. You can just call me Emma."

"Your Highness!" John said. "That is quite inappropriate for one of his standing, even if he is a Starfleet Captain, to address you as such!"

"I said that's enough, John!" I said. "Let the man speak for once without you cutting into his speech."

"Based on protocol, I think that it would be best for the both of us if I just addressed you formally. I've heard about you as well. You have an independent spirit that longs for adventure. Starfleet could use someone like you with your talents and independence."

"Thank you, Captain…I would love to enroll at Starfleet Academy, but I doubt my parents would let me willingly. They're afraid of space and what could happen if something went wrong…"

"Your Highness," John started. "Enrolling in Starfleet Academy is out of the question."

"And then there's John."

"Would you like me to talk to your parents?" Captain Picard asked. "I can make a good case every so often."

I made eye contact with Captain Picard. "You would do that for me?"

"I would only if you need me to."

"I do…they won't listen to me about this subject." I sighed and looked at the sky. "I would very much like to see what space has to offer. Captain Picard, would you please talk to them for me?"

"Your Highness! That is out of the question!" John said.

"John…" I replied slowly. "If my parents were to say yes, allowing my leave, would you argue with them?"

John shrunk back. "I would not."

"And why would that be?"

He chose his words carefully. "I know that it is your wish to go explore space. I, as your butler, have to argue about that for the concern of your safety, but if your parents gave their consent, and if I knew that you would be happy with the choice, I would not argue."

"Thank you, John." I turned back to Captain Picard. "Would you talk to my parents, Captain Picard?"

"I will do it. I will first have to get the permission of my first officer and the counselor of the ship. I'll have to bring them along. Will you be okay with this?"

"Captain Picard, I am okay with anything as long as it gets me out of Liberty Manse and allows me to travel the stars."

"Picard to O'Brien," Captain Picard said.

"O'Brien here, sir," a male voice said.

"I want you to beam me to the observation lounge on my command."

"Getting transport ready, sir."

"Thank you, Chief. Picard to Riker."

"Riker here," Commander Riker replied. "Is everything okay, sir?"

"Everything is fine. I want you and Counselor Troi to meet me in the observation lounge. Chief O'Brien is transporting me there, so I want the two of you there when I'm beamed there."

"We're on our way, sir."

"We're ready to transport you, Captain," Chief O'Brien said.

"Thank you, Chief," Captain Picard replied. "Until next time, Your Highness. Energize, Chief." And with that, Captain Jean-Luc Picard was beamed aboard his ship.

"I suggest we head back, Your Highness," John said quietly. "We wouldn't want to be out here for too long."

I rode quickly back to Liberty Manse, with the limo behind me, hoping that my long absence wasn't noticed. Luckily, it wasn't, so I just went up to my room and relaxed, mulling over what would happen within the past few hours. A knock soon came to my door.

"Come in," I said quietly, still lost in my thoughts.

"Can we talk, Emma?" my father asked.

I sat up. "There's nothing to talk about."

My father sat down next to me. "There's much to talk about."

"Like what?"

"I feel that you know something about your mother that I don't know, and you aren't telling me."

"I don't want to become a part of your conflict, thank you very much. So keep me _out of it_."

"But Emma–"

"_Don't drag me into this!_ I don't want to be part of your conflict with mother just because you want to know things! I get the fact that mother and I haven't been getting along lately. Whenever you two aren't around, she expects me to have a bodyguard in the Manse and on the grounds of the Manse. And, when you two are here, she'll escort me everywhere and have double the bodyguards than usual. If you really want to know, I suggest you go _talk to her_ because it's your own business. Just _don't_ put me in the middle!"

There was a pained silence after I finished speaking. Hurt passed through my father's eyes. He looked down for a few moments, but then stood up and walked out of my room. I brought my knees up to my chest and but my forehead to my knees.

_The situation between mother and father is slowly getting worse_, I thought. _And now…it's affecting my relationship with them. Unlike before, I haven't been able to have a normal conversation with my father, and my mother is to controlling and overprotective. She doesn't want anything to change or to happen to me, which I guess is a mother thing, and now that I'm older, she expects me to be the perfect princess. Everything's different now_.

I was walking down the hallway toward the staircase when I heard a quite familiar, distinct voice. It belonged to someone who is hard to forget.

"I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise," Captain Picard said. "And this is my first officer, Commander William Riker, and this is the ship's counselor, Deanna Troi."

"Pleasure," my mother said coolly.

"It's been a while, Will," my father said. "You've grown into quite a man."

"Thank you, sir," Will said.

"You two know each other, Commander?" Deanna asked.

"I was good friends with their daughter, Emma. We would play in the nearby meadow together when Emma had the time. She was…well, _is_ a year younger than I am."

"Ah, I see."

I was at the bottom of the staircase as my father said, "This is my daughter, Emma Alford."

"Well, Your Highness," Captain Picard started. "It seems like the only person you don't know is Counselor Deanna Troi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," Counselor Troi said, bearing quite a pleasant demeanor about her.

"The pleasure is all mine, Counselor," I replied.

"And when exactly did you meet Captain Picard, Emma?" my mother asked suspiciously.

"When I was riding earlier." I faced my mother. "Is there a problem with that, mother?"

"No, there isn't. I was just curious about how you already knew the Captain."

"Your Majesties, if I may," Captain Picard started. "Starfleet is looking for some talented, adventurous, hard-working people to enroll in the academy so they could become officers later on. Your daughter carries many of these traits in her personality. I would personally ask if you could allow her to do this." I, of course, had to look shocked at this statement.

"Why on earth would we–"

"Dear, please," my father said, raising his hand, silencing her. "Let Captain Picard continue."

_That's the first time I've heard father call mother that for a while_, I thought as Captain Picard continued. _Come to think of it…I don't really know what their fight was about…all I know is that they fought and they haven't made up since_.

"…Emma?" my father asked.

"What?" I replied, coming out of my thoughts.

"Would you like to do this?"

For the first time, I actually thought about it. I was just staring at my parents, wondering about how I would feel if I left and then something happened and I couldn't resolve some things between my mother and I…and I would like to see my brother.

I nodded subtlety, saying, "I would like to, father. But…"

"'But' what?" my father asked slowly, probably knowing that I needed my time to explain.

"The 'but' is that I would like to tie up some loose ends here at home first." I turned to Captain Picard and smiled. "Is that acceptable?"

"It is quite acceptable, Your Highness," Captain Picard replied. "There is a Starfleet Academy not too far from here. I'll let them know that you'll be enrolling. I'll be sure not to reveal your status."

"Thank you, Captain. Is it acceptable with you, Father?"

"Quite," my father replied.

"But, dear," my mother started. "Something could happen."

"That is the inevitable part of life, Evie. We can't stop things from happening to our daughter, or she won't learn anything…she won't grow into the intelligent young woman that we hope she'll be."

"I also want you to know and understand that I do not mean to run away from anything. Mother, father…what's going on between the two of you can only be solved by the two of you. Once you two have reconciled…we can solve what's going on between you two and myself. But, for now…just reconcile with each other."

_This is nerve wracking_, I thought. _It's my first day here at Starfleet Academy…I hope that I can get through and into space_.

After tying up some loose ends at home, I enrolled at Starfleet Academy, took the test, and got in…thankfully. As one of the new students, I was walking toward the main hall. I was more than excited and utterly nervous.

"You must be new around here," a male voice, belonging to a teenager not that much younger than myself, said. "My name is Wesley. Wesley Crusher."

"My name is Emma. Emma Alford," I replied.

"My friends call me Wes. You can call me that…only if you want to, though."

"Thank you, Wesley."

"You're welcome. How did you end up here?"

"Here at the Academy?" Wesley nodded. "Well…I'm from a noble family, but I was always out riding, and my parents never knew where I went and how long I had been out, and through that, I met Captain Jean-Luc Picard."

"Captain Picard of the Enterprise?"

I nodded. "You know him?"

Wesley nodded. "My father and Captain Picard were good friends…so Captain Picard recommended for you to come here?" I nodded. "That's great! You seem like someone I could get along with. If you need anything, contact me."

"Thanks."

I was 20 when I was first assigned to a ship as a lieutenant.

"Now, lieutenants, you will now all be assigned to your ships," the announcer said, and he had gone through a not-so-long-list of names when he got to my name. "Emma Alford…you are assigned to the U.S.S. Enterprise. Good luck…that's a nebula class starship."

"Thank you, sir," I replied. We shook hands, and I walked off. I was ready for an adventure.

"Lieutenant Alford, are you ready to be beamed aboard?" Captain Picard asked through the communicator.

"Yes, sir," I replied.

I was soon beamed aboard the Enterprise, and when I materialized on the transporter pad, Captain Picard and Deanna Troi were there to meet me.

"Ah, I knew the name was familiar," Captain Picard said as he saw me. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you again as well, Captain."

I hadn't noticed the person standing off to my left as I turned to my right, ready to exit the transporter room with Captain Picard and Counselor Troi. I squealed, being tickled from behind.

I spun around, saying, "Will, you big jerk!"

"I missed you too, Emma," Will laughed.

"I _highly_ doubt that."

"Shall we go to the bridge?" Captain Picard asked.

"All of us?"

"Of course. Your position is on the bridge after all, Lieutenant. You're going to be at the control station of the Enterprise."

_It's feels a bit weird for him to be calling me Lieutenant_, I thought. _I guess I'll get used to it, though_.

"Okay."

"Do you think that you can handle it, Emma?" Will asked. "I will be one of your commanding officers."

"I believe that I can handle it just fine, _Commander_."

Because we grew up together, Will had just enough time to figure out and memorize all of my ticklish spots. If it was some dude I hardly knew that tickled me, I would have been uncomfortable. But…since it was Will, I was used to him coming up behind me and tickling me.

I was now the Captain of the U. S. S. Lotus. My first officer, Arthur Matthews, and the ship's counselor, Lucy Evans, and I were in the observation lounge, discussing Starfleet's orders.

"We're going to an area by the Neutral Zone that has not been explored extensively," I said. "It will be dangerous, and I'm sure we all know that. We could encounter a Romulan Warbird at any given time."

"Why exactly does Starfleet want us to do this?" Commander Matthews asked.

"Some readings have come in from that area that shows that Romulans might be hiding there."

"I mean no disdain toward anybody when I ask this, but why not ask Captain Picard of the Enterprise?" Counselor Evans asked. "The Enterprise is the flagship of Starfleet after all."

"Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise are on another mission as of this moment, and won't have time to do this one."

I sighed soon after I said that, thinking, _Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise…that sure does bring up memories. If it wasn't for Captain Picard, I wouldn't be here right now. Aside from that…I haven't contacted my parents since I left Liberty Kingdom. I guess you could say that I ran away from family conflict, but…was it so bad to desperately want to come out here and explore space?_

"Captain?" Commander Matthews asked. "Are you all right?"

"Perfectly," I replied. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Counselor Evans asked.

"It's nothing…I assure you both. Dismissed."

I stood up and walked over to the window as Commander Matthews and Councilor Evans walked out silently. _I feel bad about not saying anything to my two most trusted officers_, I thought. _But…I don't think I'm ready to talk about my family just yet_.

Soon, the ship went to Red Alert. Commander Matthews alerted me that I was needed on the bridge. The U.S.S. Lotus was much like the U.S.S. Enterprise in shape, structure, and layout, with the bridge looking exactly like the one on the Enterprise, but the Lotus was about a third smaller than the Enterprise.

"What happened?" I asked.

Commander Matthew grimly said, "Romulans sent us a subspace message. Read it, Lieutenant Carro."

Lieutenant Amelia Carro, my Chief of Security, read the message, "'You will leave the edge of the Neutral Zone, or we will cross and declare war with the Federation.' It says nothing else, Captain."

"Okay…hail them," I replied.

"No reply, ma'am."

"Open a channel – all frequencies."

"Channel open."

"Romulan Vessel – this is Captain Emma Alford of the Federation starship U.S.S. Lotus. If you want my crew, ship, and myself to leave, I would first like you to answer a question or two."

We waited for a few minutes. It wasn't long, but the waiting made it feel like forever. Soon, we got a subspace message. I had hoped for a hail from the Romulan Warbird, but I guess this will have to do.

"Read the message aloud, Lieutenant," I told Lieutenant Carro.

She read, "'Send the questions through subspace message.'"

"Is the channel still open?" Lieutenant Carro nodded.

"Romulan Vessel…I believe that the questions I have will be best conveyed if you hail us. We do not wish for you to take it the wrong way."

Right then, Lieutenant Carro said, "They're hailing us, Captain."

"On screen," I replied.

A Romulan commander appeared on the screen, saying, "I am Commander Nuhir Ralaa."

"Greetings, Commander Ralaa," I replied.

"Am I addressing Captain Alford?"

"You are."

"What is the nature of these questions you have for me?"

"The nature of the questions is about the Romulan Empire in general. Are you versed in the workings of your Empire?"

"I am. You may ask these questions you have."

"Would you happen to know if the Romulan Empire is hiding any Warbirds in the unexplored territory of the Neutral Zone?"

Once I asked, Lieutenant Carro said, "They're arming their weapons, Captain!"

I started, "Shields –"

We were hit.

"Shields are down, Captain. We're losing power!" Lieutenant Carro exclaimed.

"You have sentenced yourself and your crew to death," Commander Ralaa stated coolly. The hail ended, and the ship was bombarded with phaser beams. Luckily for us, they did not think of using photon torpedoes.

"Captain, there's another Romulan Warbird de-cloaking," Lieutenant Carro said desperately. "They're arming their phasers…they're firing!"

Again, the U.S.S. Lotus was bombarded with phaser blasts. Most of the bridge crew, except for Commander Matthews and myself, were dead.

"Computer…how many are alive in the ship?" I asked.

"Fifty-two," the computer replied.

"Are two of those life signs on the bridge?"

"Confirmed."

"Who and where are the other fifty life signs on the Lotus?"

"The fifty children aboard the Lotus survived. They are located in the school."

"Commander."

"Yes, Captain?" Commander Matthews replied.

"I want you to go to the school, gather the children, and bring them here to the bridge. Once they are here, I'll direct all power to life support to the bridge and engines and get us out of here."

"But, Captain–"

"That's an order, Commander! Now I suggest you follow through with it unless you want all of us to die and nobody left alive to apologize to the living relatives!"

Commander Matthews left the bridge. I fired our only useful photon torpedoes, which damaged one of the Romulan Warbirds and destroyed the other. Then I fired the phasers. Commander Matthews was soon on the bridge with the children. About half of them were either toddlers or young children, and the other half were teenagers. Two of the children were infants – no more than two.

"Computer, direct all power to life support and the engines," I said.

"All power was directed to life support and engines completed," the computer stated.

"Computer…where did Commander Ralaa's Warbird fly off to?"

"They flew back into Romulan space."

"Let's get out of here. Destination, Starfleet Headquarters, Earth."

"Confirm destination."

"Confirmed."

The U.S.S. Lotus went into warp drive, and Commander Matthew said, "Captain, I'm not sure if the Lotus will make it to Earth."

"She'll make it, Commander," I said. _She'll make it_.

The Lotus did make it, however, she was on her last life line. The fifty-two of us were beamed off. Right as that happened, the Lotus exploded. I was emotionally traumatized. I had lost my entire crew except for my first officer, and the fifty children were left without parents.

I, at age 24, was the youngest captain in Federation record since the Federation was started. I was the youngest captain…and the youngest captain to lose the ship that they commanded. We were all taken to the sick bay at the Starfleet base in San Francisco.

I soon woke up after sleeping for what seemed like forever. The doctor hovered over me.

"I see you're awake," he said. "I'm Doctor Evans…and, yes…I was Lucy's father."

"I'm sorry…" I replied softly and slowly.

"I can't say that I'm not upset, Captain, but I don't want you worrying about what's over and done with…Lucy wouldn't want that."

"Are the others fine?"

"The children are perfectly fine Captain…"

"What about Commander Matthews?"

"Commander Matthews died soon after he got here."

"No…" I whispered. _Not the last one of my crew. Why did this happen? Why did it end this way?_

I soon drifted into sleep. However…it was not the peaceful sleep I had needed and wanted.

"Will she be fine, doctor?" a voice asked. It was a voice that all too familiar.

"She'll be fine, Your Majesty," Doctor Evans replied. "I never made the connection between you and Captain Alford."

"'Captain'?" my mother asked.

"Yes. Didn't you know?"

"No."

"I thought, that as her parents, you would have kept up with her. When she became a captain at the age of 23, she hit the records of being the youngest captain in Federation books and history. And…if Starfleet acknowledges her efforts to save her crew as a high form of service, she could be promoted to admiral. Then, at the age of 24, she'd be known as the youngest admiral in Federation books and history."

"We heard bits and pieces about her, but we never really paid attention to them."

"Did you keep in touch?"

"No…" my father said quietly. "I think that she just needed space."

I opened my eyes. Nobody was looking at me, but when I noticed my father and mother, I smiled. They were holding hands. This was a major change from the last time I saw them. I soon coughed badly, turning over on my side.

"Her vitals are low," Doctor Evans said desperately, rushing to find something that would help.

"Will she be okay?" my mother asked, with a desperate tone of voice.

"I'm not sure. When her ship was attacked, the warp core was damaged, and the barrier that protected the crew from the radiation was broken. It spread throughout the ship. The bridge was the last hit, and the children didn't get a high concentration of radiation in their bodies. However, Commander Matthews went out into the halls to check engineering, and he got the highest concentration. Your daughter went out after him as he was coming back."

"Oh God, no." My mother put her face on my father's shoulder, and my father wrapped his arm around her shoulders tightly, obviously worried. Doctor Evans soon gave me an injection of medication…one that makes people drowsy at that. Someone soon came in.

"Is she going to be okay?" the person asked.

"Hopefully," Doctor Evans replied. "I'm not sure how she'll react to the new medication for radiation, so I can't say for sure." My mother started to protest. "Your Majesty…the medication has been proven to cure the radiation and to get the radiation out of the body through the respiratory system."

"But what if it doesn't work with her?" my mother asked, and Doctor Evans remained silent.

"I trust him," the person said.

"But Joseph," my mother started.

"Mother…Starfleet is experienced in this kind of stuff. Trust him."

I tried saying my brother's name, but the word wouldn't come out…I couldn't speak. Joseph noticed this, and held my hand. He was a year older than me, at the age of 25, the same age as Will Riker.

"You all should go get some rest," Doctor Evans suggested. "Captain Alford needs hers as well after the encounter she experienced."

My father and mother walked off, and my brother stood up. Right as he started to walk off, I squeezed his hand…I didn't want him to go just yet.

"Doctor…may I stay here until my sister falls asleep?" my brother asked.

"Of course," Doctor Evans replied. "You really care for your sister, don't you?"

My brother nodded, and I soon dozed off into the realm of sleep. My dream was quite peaceful. It was about when Will Riker and I played as children. We were in the meadow by the Manse, the same place I had met Captain Picard. In my dream, I was 5 and he was 6.

"Come on, Em," Will said. "Let's watch the sunrise together!"

"But, Will, if I don't get home soon, I would get in trouble for being out late without a bodyguard," I replied. "You know how my mother is…she doesn't want anything to happen to me."

"Don't you get tired of being locked up in that castle day and night, only going out with permission and a few bodyguards?"

"But–"

"Come on. Let's go. We don't want to miss it."

I woke up. I noticed that I had been crying. My brother had fallen asleep in the chair, still holding my hand. My parents soon walked into the room, and Doctor Evans was working on the computer in the room. He stood up as soon as he saw them. He then looked over at me.

"You're awake," Doctor Evans said. "How do you feel?"

"Better," I replied, "though my throat is still a bit sore."

"That should pass once you're feeling 100 percent better."

"Emma…" my mother said slowly, tears on the verge of spilling.

"Mother…" I replied.

"I'm so sorry, Emma!" My mother started crying. "If only I took your feelings into consideration, this–"

"Mother, don't. Nothing you could have possibly said or done could have possibly changed this…"

"But still…"

"And if we hadn't put you into the center of our quarrel," my father continued, "things could have been different."

"That's true, father," I replied. "But we can't go back in time and change the past…if we could, we'd alter our futures."

I was walking around Starfleet Headquarters when I ran into Admiral Steve Duim, who was walking with his wife, Lana. Literally. I was looking around, mainly because I hadn't been to Starfleet Headquarters in a while, and we bumped into each other.

"Ah, Captain Alford," Admiral Duim said. "I was looking for you."

"You were looking for me?" I replied quizzically.

"Yes, I was. I had heard about what happened at the Admirals' Meeting earlier this morning. Many of the others were thinking that you should stay a captain for a little while longer. However, a few of the admirals, including myself, stated that you did your best for your ship and those children."

"What else did you say?"

"We said that you really had nothing else to learn and gain from being a captain and that you should be promoted to admiral. We said that your position should be a bit higher than that of my own."

"Why?"

"My own position of admiral basically teaches you about how to deal with the kind of situation you were in. Usually, you would be in my position for a few years, but we made the case since you experienced it first-hand and did what we were taught to do without even being told that. You acted on instinct."

"I guess I could do it…but I'm not sure if I'm capable of handling the position."

"You are more than capable of handling this position. Have more faith in yourself."

"What am I to do to get ready?"

"Well, first…you need to decide whether you want to choose a ship and stay in space or if you want to stay here at Headquarters or one of Starfleet's bases."

"I still want to stay in space, so I guess I'll choose a ship."

"What ship would you like?"

I was thinking as Lana said, "Oh, Emma, this is so exciting! You'll be the youngest admiral that Starfleet has known!"

"It's very exciting," I replied with a laugh. "But it's also nerve-wracking. I have no doubt in my mind that because I'll be the youngest admiral Starfleet has known, they'll be up and down my case."

"I cannot say that is not true," Admiral Duim commented. "But…once they're comfortable with you, they'll leave you alone unless they have something that they need you to do."

There was a silence as I thought, _Choose my own ship…there are so many that I could possibly choose from. But…if I have to choose…it would probably be the ship where it all started_.

"I would like to choose the U.S.S. Enterprise," I stated, "if it is okay."

"Of course it's okay," Admiral Duim replied. "But…I must inquire as to why you would choose the Flagship of Starfleet."

"Well…I guess you could say that I'm going 'full circle'. The Flagship of Starfleet is where everything began for me."

"I see."

The ceremony was over, and I was now an admiral aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. Even though I was in charge of a whole fleet of starships, I decided to be aboard the Enterprise because, as the Flagship of Starfleet, they went to many places.

I was ready for an adventure.


End file.
